in The Reign of King Edward the Third — Anonymous; Shakespeare, William (?)
Metadata
Play
The Reign of King Edward the Third
Author
Anonymous; Shakespeare, William (?)
Year (catalogued)
1596
First performance
1590
Decade
1590s
Genre
History
Play type
Adult Professional
Company
Derby's (Strange's) Men (?)
Speech prefix(es)
Wo:
Words
299
Characters
1672
Typicality
0.33 (cosine to cluster centroid)
TCP id
A21144
BritDrama no.
952
Cluster
Cluster 22 — Ghosts, curses & horror voices
Important excerpts
No keyword-matching excerpt could be extracted (the cluster label doesn't share vocabulary with this character's speech).
Full speech
Beside, there goes a Prophesy abroad, Published by one that was a Fryer once, Whose Oracles have many times proved true, And now he says the time will shortly come, When as a Lion roused in the west, Shall carry hence the fluerdeluce of France, These I can tell ye and such Like surmises, Strike many french men cold unto the heart: Fly country men and citizens of France, Sweet flowering peace the root of happy life, Is quite a bandoned and expulst the land, Instead of whom ransacked constraining war, Sits Like to Ravens upon your houses tops, Slaughter and mischief walk within your streets. And unrestrained make havoc as they pass, The form whereof even now my self beheld, Upon this fair mountain whence I came, For so far of as I directed mine eyes, I might perceive five Cities all on fire, Come fields and vineyards burning Like and oven, And as the leaking vapour in the wind, I turned but a side I Like wise might disserne. The poor inhabitants escaped the flame, Fallen numberless upon the soldiers pikes, Three ways these dreadful ministers of wrath, Do tread the measures of their tragic march, Upon the right hand comes the conquering King, Upon the left is hight unbridled son, And in the amid our nations glittering host, All which though distant yet conspire in one, To leave a desolation where they come, Fly therefore Citizens if you be wise, Seek out some habitation further of, Here if you stay your wives will be a bused, Your treasure sharde before your weeping eyes, Shelter you your selves for now the storm does rise Away, away, me thinks I hear their drums, Ah wretched France, I greatly fear thy fall, Thy glory shakes Like a tottering wall.
Plot summary
Plot — The Reign of King Edward the Third
KingledwWardlll of England hears of his claim to the French throne by his mother’s right, and plans an invasion. The French have induced the Scots to invade England, and they have laid siege to the Countess of 1593 Salisbury’s castle. King Edward goes north to deal with them, and they flee at his approach, but the Countess persuades him to stay rather than pursue them. He falls in love with her, but neither his wooing nor her father’s unwilling advocacy can overcome her fidelity to her husband. She breaks his obsession by first demanding the deaths of his queen and her husband, then threatening to stab herself. With his troops mustered, Edward sets off for France. The French gather their allies about them, but their navy fails to prevent the English from landing. Edward’s army lays waste the country, and the inhabitants flee. PRGSIBAWArd is formally armed, and his father refuses to commit troops to help him out of danger at the battle of Crécy; the honour of his victory is thereby the greater. MHeEArNonSalisbiity releases his prisoner Willli@rs to seek safe conduct for him to Calais, on condition that he returns a prisoner if unsuccessful. His insistence on keeping his oath to return persuades the reluctant Dalipiin to issue a passport. Emboldened by an ambiguous prophecy, the French give battle to Prince Edward. Salisbury is captured, but produces his passport; Kimggohih is reluctantly compelled to honour it. The terms of the prophecy are fulfilled: the French army is frightened by ravens and, out of ammunition, the Prince’s army fights with the stones of the earth. The French are routed and King John taken prisoner. King Edward besieges Calais: after expelling its poor men to save food, the town surrenders; but Edward’s terms are that six leading burgesses must give themselves up within two days to suffer what fate he pleases. He is about to attack when they do so; and QHeeHEPHTippa persuades Edward to spare their lives. THEIKINGOHSESts is taken prisoner, and his captor brings him to France to surrender him to King Edward in person. Prince Edward also brings his father the gift of a captive king; King John is taken prisoner to England.